About last night: Atchison, Beltre lead series victory over Orioles

Friday, September 3, 2010 -- Anonymous (not verified)

BALTIMORE -- A few notes from last night's closer-than-it-should've-been 6-4 victory over the Orioles:

--Daisuke Matsuzaka made his first start since Aug. 21 and said he didn’t feel any of the soreness in his back that caused him to skip one turn in the rotation. In fact, for five innings, he held the Orioles to only two hits. But Matsuzaka said he lost his rhythm in the sixth inning when he gave up four runs and put the tying run on second base before being lifted for reliever Scott Atchison. “I think I did a good job through the first five innings holding the opposing hitters (in check),” Matsuzaka said through translator Masa Hoshino. “But it was the first time since I aggravated my back that I threw at full strength, and I think there was a little bit of adjustment there that I needed to get over. In the sixth inning, I think I rushed a little bit through that inning.”

--With Matsuzaka getting KO’d in the sixth inning, the Red Sox needed to squash the Orioles’ rally with the tying run on second base. Atchison delivered. He struck out Nolan Reimold for the final out of the sixth, then tossed a scoreless seventh and got the first two outs of the eighth. Of his six outs, three came via strikeout. “Atch, pitching the way he did, really clutched up for us,” said manager Terry Francona, whose growing faith in Atchison was another reason Manny Delcarmen became expendable. Said Atchison, “You want to have their trust enough that they can put you in those situations. Those are situations you want to pitch in. You want to pitch when the game’s on the line and show them you can do it. Tonight was fun. I was able to be successful and help the team win.”

--Adrian Beltre has been nothing short of the Red Sox' MVP, and he seems destined for a strong finish. Beltre (AP photo), who again will be a free agent this winter, belted his 25th homer, a leadoff shot in the second inning. He leads AL third basemen in homers and all third basemen with 92 RBI. Since 1939, he's only the second Red Sox third baseman to hit at least 25 homers in a season, joining Butch Hobson (30 in 1977, 28 in 1979). “He’s having a huge year himself,” catcher Victor Martinez said. “At the same time, he’s helping this team, big-time. He’s pretty much been carrying us this whole year.”

--Biggest hit of the game: David Ortiz' two-out, two-run single in the second inning, which turned a 3-0 lead into a 5-0 gulf. “David’s two-out hit was huge,” Francona said. “We had the bases loaded and two outs. It had a chance to stay there. David takes that nice swing and has that hit to left field, which was really big for us.”

--The Orioles are 7-8 against the Red Sox, but they're 5-31 against the rest of the AL East, including 0-12 against the Blue Jays and 2-10 against the Yankees.

--Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek will have CT scans today to determine the rate of healing of their respective foot fractures. And while the test figures to be a precursor to season-ending surgery for Pedroia, Varitek may be cleared for a two-game minor-league rehab assignment this weekend. Varitek has been sidelined since July 1 with a right foot fracture. Stay tuned for details on both Pedroia and Varitek.

--When the White Sox claimed Manny Ramirez off waivers Monday, it meant one thing: An encore performance for Manny in Fenway Park. Assuming Hurricane Earl doesn't overpower him, Hurricane Manny will blow through Fenway tonight. As a member of the Dodgers, Ramirez came to town for three days in June. He didn't speak to reporters and barely acknowledged the crowd as the Dodgers were swept. But Ramirez didn't go quietly. He finished 5-for-12 (.417) with a solo home run in the series. With another big series this weekend, he could help the White Sox gain ground on the Twins in the AL Central race.